Join the AeroAstro DEI Committee

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (DEI) invites you to participate in the department’s DEI Committee. If you’re interested in becoming a new member, please complete the Google interest form by September 1, 2022. For the past year, the DEI Committee meetings have been scheduled bi-weekly via zoom. In the fall, we hope to meet bi-weekly in person. To ensure representation of diverse voices and opinions are heard, the committee meetings are open to the entire AeroAstro community.

Your participation in the DEI Committee is voluntary. We encourage your engagement on diversity, equity, and inclusion issues in AeroAstro, and to participate in a working groups as needed. As part of the committee, you can expect a time commitment of at least two hours a week for the 2022-2023 academic year.

For additional information, please get in touch with Denise Phillips at dap1@mit.edu. Your feedback on DEI is important and valuable to the Department. Please submit your feedback here: aa-diversity@mit.edu.

June 3: Attend End of Semester Performance for MAS.S62: Queer-Feminist-Antiracism and Design for the Future

The AeroAstro community is invited to attend this showcase that highlights the work pursued under the class called "Queer-Feminist-Antiracism and Design for the Future," on June 3 from noon-3 p.m. in E14 6th Floor. The event will include a reception with light refreshments to learn more about class projects. The performance will feature two guest artists, Jennifer Harrison Newman (choreographer, producer and dancer) and Paul Lieber (projectionist) collaborating with students and instructors of the course. Learn more.

HUMANS of MIT needs your help!

The HUMANS project is in the submissions review phase, and we’re still looking for native speakers in the following languages: Basque, Bosnian, Cebuano, Chavacano, Chichewa, Croatian, Filipino, Hungarian, Igbo, Kazakh, Kinyarwanda, Korean, Laothian, Lithuania, Malagasy, Malay, Maori, Mauritian Creole, Nepali, Portugese, Quechua, Sesotho, Sindhi, Slovenian, Swahili, Tausug, Thai, Tibetan, Zou, and Und. To get involved, email humans_info@mit.edu.

SpaceTech 2022

On Wednesday, April 27, the MIT Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics hosted SpaceTech 2022, an annual day-long symposium that highlights the current and future state of space research and technology development. The event, part of MIT Space Week, featured keynotes and panels from a roster of key industry figures, student lightning talks, and in a new feature this year, student pitches for aerospace-related startups to a panel of expert judges for a chance to win a cash prize.

To kick off the program, former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine provided the opening keynote, where he discussed his experience at the helm of NASA, as well as some of the biggest challenges facing the agency today, such as space debris.

The next event featured the first-ever Aerospace 10K Competition “Pitchfest,” where six times teams presented their startup business ideas focused on entrepreneurial aerospace innovation to a panel of expert judges for a chance to win a $10K prize.

The Pitchfest is part of the new Certificate in Aerospace Innovation offered by the MIT AeroAstro in collaboration with the MIT Innovation Initiative and the Martin Trust MIT Center for Entrepreneurship. The program, open to graduate students, postdocs, and staff, consists of cross-disciplinary curriculum with coursework in MIT AeroAstro and the MIT Sloan School of Management.

AstroQuote (Winner of the Competition)

Team: Ryan de Freitas Bart and Spencer McDonald

Summary: AstroQuote will use a combination of aerospace technologies, big data, and advanced analytics to provide insurance policy holders with fast, accurate, and targeted recommendations to mitigate risk events like floods and fires before they ever even happen.

BuildingPI

Team: Soumya Sudhakar and Stewart Jamieson

Summary: BuildingPI is an AI engine that converts a cell phone home video tour into a complete 3D model with an accurate thermodynamic simulation. This simulation would allow homeowners to receive tailored recommendations on how to save on their energy bill through various products and home improvements and connect with contractors who can retrofit their home with energy efficient technology.

Electrofluidics

Lead: Jonathan MacArthur

Summary: By combining spontaneous capillary flow (SCF) in open microchannels with electrowetting, a solid state electrostatic liquid flow controller may be designed and built for use in space applications like ion electrospray propulsion (iEPS) with potential use for a broad range of continuous-flow applications.

Galaxity

Team: Cedric Pan, Hannah Tomio, Scarlett Koller

Summary: Galaxity will recreate a live-streaming and immersive Earth viewing project as a commercial payload on the ISS, using advanced VR and commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) cameras with high resolution and 360-degree views for education and outreach.

Satellite Relay Constellation

Team: Asha Jain, Jon Novak, Hannah Szapary, Justin Poh, and Adam Munekata

Summary: A space data relay satellite constellation designed to meet the data transfer needs of a rapidly expanding satellite market by establishing connections with existing systems and providing the service of augmenting their downlink abilities.

Space Sweepers

Team: Jess Johnson, Paula do Vale Pereira, Miguel Talamantez, and Allegra Farrar

Summary: Space Sweepers will design a unique, hardened platform to passively collect debris on orbit, passing through LEO orbits and sweeping up a variety of small, potentially lethal threats.

During lunch, a panel of alumni experts hosted by the MIT Sloan Club of New York, featuring Jenn Gustetic, Director, Early Stage Innovations, NASA (MIT TPP), Dr. Farah Alibay, Systems Engineer, JPL (MIT AeroAstro), and Patrick Zeitouni, Head of Space Mobility, Blue Origin (MIT Sloan), was live streamed for event attendees.

After lunch, Dr. Joel Mozer, Director, Science, Technology, and Research, U.S. Space Force gave a virtual presentation about the future goals and challenges of the organization. 

Next, Prof. Danielle Wood led a panel that included Dr. Debra Emmons, CTO, The Aerospace Corporation; Sita Sonty, Partner and Associate Director, Boston Consulting Group; and Nicholas Cummings, Director, Civil Space Advanced Development, SpaceX.

To end the day, a group of graduate students gave lightning talks on their research. The audience was then invited to vote for their favorite talk.

Evan Kramer

"Rotating Synthetic Aperture Technology"

Asha Jain (2nd place)

"Sustainability of Space Debris Reentry"

Thomas Abitante

"Electrical Stimulation as a Non Exercise-Based Bone Loss Countermeasure"

Harsh Bhundiya (1st place)

"In-Space Manufacturing of Trusses with Bend-Forming"

Michelle Lin (3rd place)

"Physical Instinct in Microgravity"

Members of the planning committee for Spacetech 2022 and the Aerospace 10K Pitchfest Competition include Allegra Farrar, Celina Pasiecznik, Dan Jang, George Lordos, Joyce Light, Julia Pasiecznik, Richard Linares, Sara Cody, Thomas Roberts, Will Parker, Beata Shuster, Oli de Weck, and Zolti Spakovsky. 

All photos in this feature are by Jake Belcher.

Recognition 2022: Celebrating our peers and colleagues 

Community Recognition

➡️ View the photo album ⬅️

The Spirit of XVI Wings Award

Dedicated to individual staff members or team of staff members, this award recognizes the day-brighteners, the process-improvers, and the leaders of the charge whose unending enthusiasm and a high caliber of work enable the community to thrive. Whether their role is front-and-center or more behind-the-scenes, this person (or team of people) embodies our shared commitment to our mission, vision, and values, and has had a positive impact on the department. The recipient of the Spirit of XVI Wings Award consistently exceeds expectations, demonstrates leadership to the benefit of others, and has made exceptional contributions that significantly improved processes or quality of life for their office, their lab(s), or the department as a whole.

Recipient: Beata Shuster

Upstander Award

This award recognizes an individual champion of inclusivity, who could be a undergraduate student, graduate student, administrative/technical staff member, support staff member, faculty member, or postdoc/researcher. The recipient uses their voice to uplift others, facilitates thoughtful discussions about building a welcoming community and creating a sense of belonging, and is a leader who speaks and acts in support of a cause that aligns with our mission, vision, and values — even when it is challenging. The Upstander demonstrably embodies our core belief central to our values: ethics and integrity are fundamental to everything that we do.

Recipient: Pam Fradkin

Vickie Kerrebrock Awards

Named in memory of Vickie Kerrebrock, the late first wife of the late Professor Jack Kerrebrock who was a tireless advocate for community-building, this award recognizes members of the community who embody “the heart” that drives “the mind and hand” of AeroAstro. A total of six awards are given to recognize an individual or team in each of the following categories: undergraduate students, graduate students, administrative/technical staff, support staff, faculty members, and postdocs/researchers.

Recipients:

Undergraduate Award

Nicole McGaa

Graduate Award

Emily Williams

Administrative/Technical Award

Ping Lee

Support Staff Award

Bryt Bradley

Faculty Award

Paulo Lozano

Postdoc/Research Award

Katya Arquilla

Course 16 Recognition

➡️ View the photo album ⬅️

Andrew J. Morsa Prize

Given to undergraduate students for demonstration of ingenuity and initiative in the application of computers to the field of aeronautics and astronautics.

Recipient: Akila Saravanan ‘23

For her work on the design and development of a drone-based platform for

continuous aerial sensing.

General James H. Doolittle Prize

Given for outstanding achievement in the design, construction, execution and reporting of an undergraduate experimental research project.

Recipient: The Heimdallr Team

Jack L. Capper ‘22

Daniel Ledesma ‘22

John C. Pendergrast ‘23

Jacqueline E. Pedlow ‘22

Joseph C. Rowell ‘23

For developing a neural network to analyze images of an asteroid surface to determine which areas might be suitable spots for sample collection touch-and-collect landings.

Yngve K. Raustein Memorial Award

Given to a Unified Engineering student who best exemplifies the spirit of Yngve Raustein and to recognize significant achievement in Unified Engineering.  

Recipient: Cecilia Perez Gago ‘24

For unwavering engagement with the material and the concepts and for boundless passion for aerospace engineering, we are pleased to present the Yngve Raustein Award to Cecilia Perez Gago, who best represents the genuine spirit of the Unified class of 2021-2022.

Apollo Program Prize

Given to an AeroAstro undergraduate or graduate student who conducts the best research project on the topic of humans in space. The Apollo prize may also be given to an undergraduate student for participation in a successful Course 16 design project.

Recipients: Chloe Gentgen ‘G and George Lordos ‘G

For their outstanding efforts in leading teams representing MIT in NASA-sponsored projects and competitions that aim at harvesting local resources for the establishment of future sustainable human settlements on the Moon and on Mars.

James Means Memorial Award

Given for excellence in flight vehicle engineering.

Recipient: Julian L. Powers ’24

For the feasibility analysis and design of a hydrofoil takeoff and landing system for a Sea-Glider transport aircraft.

James Means Memorial Award

Given for excellence in space systems engineering.

Recipient: Juliana L. Chew ‘22

 For her outstanding research work on networking CubeSat platforms for data routing and data analysis of tropical weather data from CubeSats.

Rene H. Miller Prize in Systems Engineering

Given for the best undergraduate student project or graduate thesis in systems engineering in the department. 

Recipients:

Eric Daniel Hinterman ‘G

Kyle J. Horn ‘G

Shravan Hariharan ‘G

Maya Nasr ‘G

For their exemplary work in carrying out MOXIE operations critical for future human exploration of Mars. This has involved long hours in the MOXIE laboratory, in preparing for the eight oxygen-producing runs achieved so far on Mars, and in analyzing the extensive amounts of data that MOXIE has produced.

AeroAstro Graduate Teaching Assistantship Award

Given to a graduate student –or students - who has demonstrated conspicuous dedication and skill in helping fulfill an undergraduate or a graduate subject’s objectives

Recipient: Jingnan Shi

For supporting 16.485 Visual Navigation for Autonomous Vehicles for two subsequent years and for leading the transition of the course from a physical platform to a photorealistic simulator during the pandemic. Jingnan has gone above and beyond to enable other students to effectively learn in a socially-distanced setup.

Henry Webb Salisbury Award

Given for superior academic performance by a Course XVI graduating senior(s). The criteria considered include the student’s cumulative GPA, their performance in other curricular and extra-curricular activities, and feedback from faculty and faculty advisors.

Recipients:

Juliana L. Chew

Megan F. Cooper

Wyatt M. Giroux

Devin Johnson

Daniel Ledesma

Erin M. Leydon

Cici Mao

Savva Morozov

Jacqueline E. Pedlow

Victor M. Perez-Ramirez

Tara K. Venkatadri

Maggie Zheng

Graduate Leadership Recognition

➡️ View the photo album ⬅️

Graduate Student Ambassadors

The Ambassadors Program is designed to connect current graduate students with newly admitted AeroAstro students to foster a welcoming and engaging environment. 

Ryan de Freitas Bart

Sarah Demsky

Annick Dewald

Sydney Dolan

Ryan Hee

Michelle Lin

Will Parker

Hannah Tomio

Jingnan Shi

Bazyli Szymański

Emily Williams

Syed "Shayan" Zahid

AeroAfro

AeroAfro is a department-recognized community of Black graduate students. The group aims to provide a network of students who can understand the particularities of being both a graduate student in Aeronautics and Astronautics and a member of the African Diasporic community.

Arthur Brown

Cory Vincent Frontin

Stewart Isaacs

Chelsea Onyeador

Cadence Payne

AeroAfro Outstanding Student Leadership

Arthur Brown

dREFS

AeroAstro’s Departmental Resources for Easing Friction and Stress (dREFS) are an excellent student resource for issues and concerns specific to AeroAstro. dREFS are confidential resources trained in mediation, and are part of a larger interdepartmental REFS community at MIT. dRefs can support, coach, listen, and informally mediate in times of stress. 

Morgan Blevins

Chris Chin

Mohammad Shafaet Islam

Rachel Morgan

M. Regina Apodaca Moreno

Victoria Preston

Paula do Vale Pereira

Mycal Tucker

dREFs Outstanding Student Leadership

Paula do Vale Pereira

GA^3

GA^3 is the AeroAstro graduate student group. It promotes graduate student well-being, advocates student interests, and fosters a sense of community within the department.

Ryan de Freitas Bart

Harsh Bhundiya

Andrew Fishberg

Shravan Hariharan

Andrea Henshall

Mennatallah Hussein

Kota Kondo

Evan Kramer

Michelle Lin

Spencer McDonald

Hannah Tomio

Carter Waligura

Chris Womack

GA^3 Outstanding Student Leadership

Spencer McDonald

Carter Waligura

GWAE

Graduate Women in Aerospace Engineering is a group for AeroAstro women graduate students. Its objective is to build a community and encourage relationships among graduate women in aerospace engineering, women faculty in AeroAstro, and women throughout MIT.

Asha Jain

Emily Williams

Rosemary Davidson

China Hagstrom

2021-22 AIAA Awards

Advisor of the Year 

Prof. Luca Carlone

Teacher of the Year

Prof. Eytan H. Modiano

Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year (16.83 TA)

Rosemary Katherine Davidson 'G

UROP Mentor of the Year (newly established AIAA award)

Parker C. Lusk 'G

Postdoctoral and Researcher Ceremony

Each year we honor and express our appreciation for our postdocs and researchers as they leave AeroAstro and enter the exciting next chapter of their respective careers.

➡️ View the photo album ⬅️

Prof. David Arnas Martinez

Prof. Maha Haji

Dr. Durgesh Chandel

Dr. Kasra Khosoussi

Dr. Kwassi Holali Degue

Dr. Yaniv Mordecai

Dr. Bryce Doerr

Dr. David Rosen

Dr. Nadia Figueroa Fernandez

Dr. Haozhe Wang

Prof. Golnaz Habibi

The final project for Course 16.405 (Robotics: Science and Systems) turns the track at the Johnson Athletic Center into a racetrack for tiny self-driving cars. Sprinting behind each car on foot is a team of three to six students, sometimes carrying wireless routers or open laptops, while their classmates cheer them on, knowing the effort it took to program the algorithms steering the cars around the course during this annual MIT autonomous racing competition. View the full album. (Photo credits: Gretchen Ertl)

Devin Johnson '22 was featured in a profile by MIT News where he shares his path to MIT, his experience as a student in AeroAstro and in his internships, and his future plans to work at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

BeaverCube is an Earth-imaging 3U CubeSat with two infrared cameras and one visual spectrum camera. Besides tracking the temperature and color of the ocean on the East coast of the US, BeaverCube will also demonstrate the use of liquid electrospray propulsion on a CubeSat. The propulsion unit was developed by Accion Systems, a spin-off company from Prof. Paulo Lozano's SPL. BeaverCube was designed, tested, and assembled by MIT students, and will also be operated by students via the STAR Lab's UHF ground station. Paula and Joey (PhD Candidates at the STAR Lab) perform the final integration of BeaverCube into the NanoRacks deployer. The deployer will fly on the next Space-X cargo mission to the ISS, scheduled to launch on June 7. Photos provided by Paula do Vale Pereira.

Four MIT students, including Chloe Gentgen (AeroAstro), Rebecca Jiang (AeroAstro), Palak Patel (MechE), and Jessica Todd (AeroAstro), were among 32 students selected to participate in the Caltech Space Challenge 2022, where they worked in teams to design a sample return mission to Titan. (Left to right: Palak Patel, Rebecca Jiang, Chloe Gentgen, and Jessica Todd.)

MIT has offered military training since 1865. Today, it hosts Air Force, Army, and Naval ROTC programs. “It’s really inspiring to be around a group of people that is so motivating,” says AeroAstro senior and Navy ROTC Midshipman Juliana Silldorff. Here, Silldorff, and Army Cadet Chloe Brown, and Air Force Cadet Thomas Edelman, reflect on the challenges and benefits of being both in ROTC and an MIT student.

As part of the Space Consortium at Harvard and MIT, Maya Nasr completed the Group of Researchers for Interdisciplinary Politics of Space, Space Law, Policy and Ethics Graduate Workshop (GRIPS-SLPE) with Prof. Alissa Haddaji.

Michelle Lin accepted a position at SpaceX for the summer working on the Medical Operations team.

Tiera Fletcher ’17 decided to become a rocket scientist at 11 years old. Almost 15 years later, she’s helped bring to life one of the most powerful rockets ever built—NASA’s Space Launch System. The rocket will someday propel the next generation of astronauts to the moon and beyond by launching the Orion spacecraft and its crew into deep space. Its first launch is intended for later this year. Read the full profile in MIT Slice.